


Island Holiday: A Reylo Christmas Story

by Rey_KnightofRen



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Airports, Beaches, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Hawaii, Musicians, Romance, Vacation, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21758995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rey_KnightofRen/pseuds/Rey_KnightofRen
Summary: Violinist Rey Niima is traveling to Hawai‘i to perform in her best friend Finn’s destination wedding the week before Christmas. She’s supposed to be playing a duet with cellist Ben Solo. Although Rey and Ben were rivals back in college, several years have passed since then and Rey discovers that Ben is now a VERY attractive and VERY eligible single dad. She starts to hope that her suitcase isn’t the only thing she’ll be bringing back with her from Hawai‘i…
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 109





	1. Arrival

Rey Niima excitedly peered out the window as the airplane began its descent towards the island of Maui, a tiny oasis of green surrounded by the endless blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. 

The discomfort from her cramped legs and the agonizing boredom she’d endured on the long, _long_ flight from London were instantly forgotten as she visualized herself relaxing on a sandy beach, piña colada in hand and the sun shining on her face. 

She’d always dreamed about visiting Hawai‘i but hadn’t ever thought she’d get a chance to actually come here. Her income from teaching violin lessons barely paid for her tiny flat in London, much less an expensive getaway. 

This trip was a gift from her friends Finn and Rose, who had offered to pay her way if she would perform at their wedding. Finn and Rose had been saving for years for a destination wedding, and when they’d informed Rey that they’d be purchasing her plane ticket for her, she’d tried to refuse, insisting that the gift was too generous. 

But Rose and Finn would not take no for an answer, and Rey eventually surrendered to their enthusiasm. And so now here she was, on a plane to the Hawaiian island of Maui a week before Christmas. Finn and Rose would be married on the beach at sunset tomorrow, and then Rey would have three days to explore the island before flying back home. This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her, and she planned to make the most of it. Starting with that piña colada. 

After a slightly bumpy landing that had Rey gripping the armrests (she normally loved flying), she found herself stepping off the plane and into the Kahului Airport terminal. She could peek out the window and see palm trees waving in the wind; it already felt like she was in a dream. 

Checking the time on her cellphone and seeing she only had about an hour to get to the restaurant where Rose’s family was hosting a dinner for the wedding party and guests, she hurried to the baggage claim to pick up her suitcase. She’d chosen to take her violin case as her carry-on; she preferred not to let it out of her sight. Even if the airline happened to lose her suitcase with all her clothes, at least she’d still have this. 

She was grateful she’d chosen to change into cutoff shorts and a tank top at her last layover — what a switch this tropical weather was from the chilliness of London! She waited by the baggage carousel for her beat-up brown suitcase to appear, and for her adventure to officially begin. 

That’s when a man standing on the other side of the baggage carousel caught her eye. He wasn’t looking at her; his attention seemed to be focused on something else in the distance. Maybe it was just her sleep-deprived brain that was making her feel a little loopy, but she couldn’t help but notice just how striking he was. 

He was taller than everyone standing around him, and he had the most perfect hair she’d ever seen: dark, neither long nor short, and slightly wavy. He had the sort of eyes that looked endlessly deep, as if you could stare into them forever and still find secrets to uncover. He was wearing a fitted polo that was just tight enough for her to appreciate his impressive biceps. This was exactly the mysterious and dreamy sort of man you hoped to encounter on a vacation. 

She kept staring at him, unable to take her eyes off him, until finally her exhausted brain had a realization that made her cheeks turn red in embarrassment and horror. The man she’d been crushing on from a distance was none other than Ben Solo. 

Ben Solo was a cellist, and during their time in college, they’d been rivals in the student chamber orchestra. They’d disagreed about practically everything, from practice techniques to the interpretation of the pieces. He’d driven her absolutely crazy, and the one thing she’d been dreading about this trip was the fact that she was supposed to play a duet with this man at the wedding. 

Ben was allegedly a good friend of Rose’s (though what Rose had seen in him, Rey had no idea). She’d been dreading meeting him again, but now she’d just caught herself admiring how attractive he was. Thank goodness Finn wasn’t here to see her like this; he’d never let her hear the end of it. 

Rey hadn’t remembered Ben being this attractive in college, but maybe that was just because she’d been caught up in arguing with him all the time. He already had his shiny black cello case beside him, as well as a smaller…

Rey blinked. Was that a “Paw Patrol” suitcase? She wasn’t one to judge, but Ben didn’t exactly look like the kind of man who would be using a suitcase from a cartoon about rescue dogs.

“Dad! Dad! Dad!”

Rey’s attention shifted to a small, dark-haired boy running through the airport, excitedly waving a stuffed animal above his head. 

Ben smiled ( _Ben? Smiling?_ she thought), and stretched out his arms. 

“Look what Grammy got me!” the little boy excitedly proclaimed, hugging the dolphin toy. 

The older woman behind the little boy laughed as she finally caught up to him, pushing back a strand of hair that had slipped out of her elegant braid. “I know you said Jacen doesn’t need anymore stuffed animals, but his eyes lit up when he saw that dolphin. And a grandma has to spoil her grandson on vacation.”

Ben shrugged. “Well, I’m not going to argue with either of you on that.” He patted the boy’s head. “Come on, Jacen — let’s get Grandma’s suitcase and then we can take you and your dolphin to the resort.”

Rey couldn’t help herself; she gaped at the scene in front of her, her mouth hanging open as she tried to process what she was seeing. Ben Solo — Mr. I’m Always So Uptight and Serious — was actually relaxed and good-natured on vacation? He was smiling, of his own free will, and he also had a son?

Rey wasn’t sure why, but she felt a pang as she processed that. Was she really disappointed he was in a relationship? But if he was in a relationship, why did it appear that it was just him, his son, and his mom at the airport?

Rey had been lingering too long, staring awkwardly at Ben and his family. She didn’t even realize her suitcase had passed by her several times on the carousel. And unfortunately, Ben’s family finally looked over and noticed her awkward staring. 

She and Ben locked eyes, and she felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach. It took him a minute to recognize her, but when he did, the look in his eyes was difficult to interpret. He was surprised but not necessarily unhappy. In fact, he looked a little…nervous?

Well, now they’d seen each other, and even though Rey desperately wanted to grab her suitcase and run, it would be incredibly rude to do so. She’d have to go talk to him. 

“Hello there!” she said with an awkward wave, and the little boy — apparently “Jacen” — looked at her quizzically. 

“Hey,” Ben said, waving back. His expression remained impossible to read, but at least he wasn’t glaring at her.

_Has his voice always been this deep?_ Rey wondered, feeling her cheeks flush. She had imagined that her inevitable reunion with Ben would be full of a different kind of tension than this. 

“Rey, it’s so good to see you again,” Ben’s mother said warmly, giving her a hug. Despite Rey’s feelings about Ben himself, she had always liked his mother. She’d gotten to know Leia a little bit during her time in college. Leia came to every single one of Ben’s orchestra concerts, and she always stopped by to thank all of the musicians after the show. 

Leia glanced down at Rey’s violin case. “I can’t wait to hear you play at the wedding. On the flight over, Ben and I were chatting about what a talented violinist you are. He always said you were the best musician at the school.”

“He did?” Rey couldn’t help asking, not doing a very good job of hiding her amazement. She had assumed that Ben would have complained to his mother about her. He’d actually been saying nice things? And he actually thought she was the best musician? She had practiced a lot, but she had nothing on Armitage Hux, who had practiced every waking moment and even dreamed about performing in his sleep. 

“Well, I’m looking forward to hearing you play, too,” Rey finally told Ben when the uncomfortable silence had stretched on for far too long. She found she actually kind of meant it. 

She was very grateful that Leia was here, because Leia had always been better at making small talk than either Rey or Ben. Rey remembered that Ben’s mother had inherited some sort of major company from her own father, Bail Organa, and was incredibly wealthy. Of course, that meant by default Ben was very wealthy as well. He actually hadn’t talked about it at all in college (she’d learned it once after “Googling” him and his family). His father had passed away years ago in a tragic accident, but he didn’t ever talk about that either.

“And I should also introduce you — this is my son, Jacen,” Ben said, realizing it was his turn to break the silence. 

“I’m Jacen!” the little boy immediately echoed, beaming as he held up his new stuffed animal. “This is my dolphin, Bubbles!”

Rey imagined that college-era Ben would have rolled his eyes — hard — at the thought of a stuffed dolphin named “Bubbles,” but it didn’t even seem to phase him. 

“Wow, I didn’t know you had a son,” Rey said. She was dying to ask if he was in a relationship but knew that would only make the awkwardness worse. 

“Yeah,” Ben said. “I guess I thought you might have heard from Rose or Finn — it’s just me and Jacen now. My ex-wife cheated on me with her best friend’s husband and moved away from Chicago. Thankfully I was able to get full custody of Jacen.”

Jacen reached up and put his hand in Ben’s, as if to comfort his father after they re-lived this sad memory. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Rey said quietly. Despite their feud in college, she had never wished Ben ill. And from the sound of it, he hadn’t wished her ill either. 

“Thanks,” Ben said, then cleared his throat, obviously wanting to change the topic. “My mom offered to come along with me and keep an eye on Jacen while I’m at the wedding. We decided to go ahead and make a vacation of it.”

“I think we’re all really going to enjoy the resort,” Leia said. “We were thinking of heading down to the beach after dinner — would you like to join us, Rey?”

“Well, uh, thanks for the offer, but I’m actually not staying at the resort,” Rey said. “It’s a little outside my price range. I found a bargain closer to the airport, though. It’s called the Palm Tree Paradise Motel — must be classy, right?” She tried to make a joke of it, but she felt suddenly ashamed. Although Finn and Rose had offered to pay for her condo at the resort too, she’d drawn the line at that. She knew they were already taxing their budget by paying for her flight.

“You can stay with us!” Jacen piped up. “Then you can come with me to the beach!”

Rey was touched and was trying to think of a gentle way to tell him that just wasn’t possible when Leia cut in, “Actually, that’s a great idea. Our condo has multiple bedrooms, and we have a spare one if you’d feel comfortable joining us. That way you’ll be closer to the wedding location.”

“I can’t intrude on your family vacation,” Rey tried to protest, but Leia insisted it was no trouble at all. Ben didn’t chime in to urge her to accept, yet he also didn’t protest the idea. 

Rey didn’t see how she could say yes, but the thought of being nearer to the beach was difficult to resist. She’d have her own bedroom, and maybe she could find other ways to help pay back their kindness, like watching Jacen one night so Ben and his mother could go out to a fancy dinner. 

_Wait, why I am I even considering this?_ she asked herself. _I don’t even like Ben! I don’t want to feel like I owe him anything._

But somehow, she couldn’t say no, and so soon she found herself lugging her suitcase through the airport behind Ben and his family as Leia called a taxi to take them all the restaurant for the Tico family’s pre-wedding dinner.

_What exactly had Rey gotten herself into?_

*** 

Rey spent most of the car ride chatting with Leia, and she fought the urge to keep looking over at Ben every 30 seconds. 

She still couldn’t get over how different he seemed now. He was still a bit reserved, sure, but he hadn’t scowled at her once. And she could tell how well he took care of his son, and how much Jacen adored his father. Maybe there were more layers to Ben Solo than she’d thought. 

As soon as they got to the restaurant and greeted Rose’s parents, Rey made a beeline straight for her friend Rose.

Rose looked absolutely stunning; her hair was styled in a simple up-do, and she was wearing a bright red strapless floral print dress. She was a positively glowing bride-to-be. Rey, still a little jet-lagged and sweaty, suddenly felt under-dressed. 

“It’s so good to see you!” Rose exclaimed, giving Rey a tight hug and not caring at all about her friend’s slightly disheveled appearance. 

“You look amazing,” Rey told her friend, and glanced over at Finn, who was dressed in a blue polo shirt and khaki shorts. “And so does Finn. I’m so happy for you two — this wedding is going to be a dream come true.”

“I heard you shared a ride from the airport with Ben,” Rose said with a twinkle in her eye, and Rey’s face flushed. (That seemed to be happening a lot today.)

“Yeah, it was the weirdest thing,” Rey said, lowering her voice. “We were practically enemies in college, but now he seems…”

“Super hot?” Rose said mischievously, and Rey’s cheeks turned even redder, if that was possible.

“I am not answering that,” she shot back. “But he’s definitely not as…insufferable as I remember. I’m actually, well, staying with his family at the resort. When they heard I was going to be at a hotel off-site, Leia offered me one of their spare bedrooms.”

Rose’s grin widened even further, and Rey gave her a look. 

“There will be absolutely NO shenanigans like the kind you’re imagining on this trip,” she said. “I just thought it was a kind offer, and I couldn’t say no.”

“Well, Ben’s a good guy, even if you don’t think so,” Rose said. “He’s just a little hard to get close to, at first. People think he’s cold, but he’s just painfully shy. He needs to trust you before he opens up to you. Maybe this trip will be a good chance for both of you to make a better second impression.”

_Rose really is trying to set me up with Ben,_ Rey thought. Was that the real reason both of them had been invited to play at the wedding?

Rey was too tired to handle conspiracy theories like that right now, and so she tried to distract Rose by discussing details about the wedding. Rose seemed to sense that Rey didn’t want to talk about Ben anymore right now, and so she let it go. But even then, Rey couldn’t get Ben out of her mind. What was happening to her? Maybe she just needed to go back to the condo and crash; perhaps a good night’s sleep would set her thoughts straight once again. 

Rey worked her way around the room, stopping by to hug Finn and say hello to his best man for the wedding, Poe Dameron. Poe was already having a very good time in Hawai‘i; he had a Mai Tai in one hand and had obviously consumed several more before this. Poe had hit on Rey once during college, but hopefully he’d forgotten about that by now. Rey didn’t need even more drama on this trip. 

The dinner buffet was full of amazing food, including fresh fruit and fish, and Rey ate until she felt like her stomach was about to explode. She shared another taxi with Ben and his family to the resort, then staggered up to her room and collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas before she passed out. She had forgotten all about Ben’s family’s invitation to go with them to the beach, but they seemed to sense just how much she needed to rest. 

_I wonder what Ben really feels about me staying here..._ was her final thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	2. Departure

Rey slept in far later than she had intended to, and by the time she woke up, it was already midday. She scrambled to start getting ready for the wedding, embarrassed that she’d been too exhausted to even think about setting an alarm. Thankfully she hadn’t slept any later, or she might have had to wear this day-old tank top and jean shorts to the wedding. 

Leia had left a note for her on the kitchen counter explaining that they’d gone on a hike, and that there was a sandwich for her in the fridge if she got hungry. 

Now that she wasn’t so brain-dead, Rey actually had a chance to explore the condo, and appreciate how luxurious it was. The kitchen led to a dining room with a huge table that was currently covered by a Paw Patrol puzzle that Jacen must have been working on earlier today. The living room had multiple plush turquoise coaches, and at the end of the room was a sliding glass door that opened to a balcony overlooking the beach. 

This was so far beyond any place Rey had ever lived, and it was just a vacation rental. She wondered if Ben and his family were used to this type of luxury in their homes in Chicago; what was it like to live like this every day?

Rey could have spent hours just staring out at the ocean and watching the waves crash against the shore, but she didn’t have time for that now. She changed into her dress for the wedding, a plain, coral-colored chiffon dress that looked “elegantly beach-y” (or at least that was the effect she was trying for). 

She hurried through her makeup routine and has just started tuning her violin when Ben walked in the door. 

“Uh…hi,” she said, wishing she could stop being so awkward around him. She kept waiting for them to slip back into their old college dynamic — which had involved arguing _a lot_ — but he didn’t seem to be in the mood for a fight today. 

“You look…great,” Ben replied, just as awkward. “I mean, really great.”

Rey blinked. Ben Solo had never complimented her like this before, and she wasn’t sure how to respond to that. 

“Where are your mom and Jacen?” she asked instead. 

“They’re going mini-golfing while I’m at the wedding,” Ben said. “Finn and Rose invited them to the ceremony too, but mom thought it would be easier to have Jacen off-site, so he didn’t try running into the ocean in the middle of the wedding.”

“I wouldn’t blame him for that,” Rey laughed. “The beach looks amazing; you have such a great view from your condo. Thanks for, uh, letting me stay here.”

Rey couldn’t be certain, but it looked like Ben’s cheeks had reddened slightly. “I hope my mom didn’t make you feel uncomfortable,” he said. “She just really likes to make sure everyone feels included. She doesn’t like anyone to be alone.”

Alone — that word certainly resonated with Rey. She didn’t know her birth parents, and she’d spent her childhood in the foster care system. She’d gotten used to surviving on her own, and she would have been perfectly fine in the motel. But she had to admit, it did feel nice to be included, even if it was by her college rival’s family. 

“Um, I guess I’d better start getting ready too,” he finally said, running a hand through his hair. Rey tried not to think about how much she wanted to run _her_ hands through his hair right now, just to see what that felt like. “Rose just texted and asked if we could run down to the beach for a quick rehearsal.” 

“Well, we probably don’t want to actually run — not with our instruments,” Rey tried to joke, but either Ben didn’t get it, or he didn’t think it was funny. 

“See you in a few, I guess,” he said, and disappeared into his room.

Rey tried to return to focusing on her violin. At this point, she’d almost prefer that they start yelling at each other — at least that would return them to familiar territory. She was starting to feel more and more things about Ben Solo that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to feel. 

***

Ben Solo closed his eyes and took a deep breath to center himself, before he nodded at Rey and together they started playing the first few bars of “A Thousand Years,” the song Rose had picked to begin the ceremony. 

He was sweating a little bit in his black pants, white long-sleeved button up shirt, and coral-colored tie, but he would have worn whatever Rose wanted him to. Rose and his son Jacen were the two people in this world he couldn’t say no to. 

He tried to keep his attention on the music. He avoided looking over at Rey, because he knew that if he did, he’d be blown away once again by how amazing she looked here on the beach, wearing a summery dress and playing from her heart, filling every note with genuine emotion. 

He’d had a crush on Rey since the moment he first saw her in college. She’d walked into the rehearsal room, wearing a Beatles shirt with her hair pulled up in a messy bun. He could tell right then that she was a force of nature, someone who could attack a piece of music with an energy and passion that would hold the attention of every single person in the audience. 

But Ben had always found it difficult to talk to people he didn’t know, and he was so afraid of ruining any chance he had with her that he never dared to ask her out. It was far easier to fall into a pattern of rivalry than risking his heart by admitting how he felt. He was pretty sure that she hated him by the time they left college, and he assumed they’d never see each other again. 

When Rose had asked him to play a duet with Rey at this wedding, he wanted to say no but of course he couldn’t, because it was Rose asking him. He’d dreaded his first encounter with Rey after all this time, and he’d been paralyzed with fear when she walked up to him in the airport. 

He hadn’t been in a relationship since divorcing his now ex-wife. Everyone (including his mother) had told him his ex was bad news, but he hadn’t listened. Ben knew that if he’d avoided his ex, he’d have saved himself a lot of heartache. Yet changing that part of his past would mean that Jacen wouldn’t be in his life right now, and that was something he couldn’t bear to give up. 

Ben Solo had always been a broody, moody teenager, and college-age Ben hadn’t behaved much better. But “dad Ben” — well, at least now he sort of felt like he was on the right track, though he knew he still had so much growing to do. Jacen’s unconditional love, as well as Leia’s increased involvement in their lives, had softened some of Ben’s rougher edges, and filled in the cracks in his heart. 

His mother was the only person who knew about his crush on Rey, and he’d been absolutely mortified when Leia had offered to let Rey stay at their condo. To his surprise, Rey hadn’t refused, but he was afraid to read too much into that. 

Although he wanted Rey to see that he was a better man, he wouldn’t blame her for declining to give him a second chance.

There was probably no way…

Ben shook his head to clear his thoughts, realizing they were about to come to the end of the song. Rose had started walking down the beach towards them, dressed in a simple white gown with elegant beading. She looked amazing, and Ben didn’t want to mess up her dream wedding because he was distracted by Rey.

He and Rey’s eyes met before they started the next piece, and she gave him a little smile that made his gut twist. He’d thought that seeing her one more time might help him let go, but he realized that he most definitely wasn’t over her.

***

By the time the wedding ended, Rey had decided that Maui was probably the most beautiful place on the planet. 

Rose and Finn had timed the wedding to start exactly at sunset, which provided the perfect backdrop for their ceremony. Rey felt they almost didn’t even need music; the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore were enough to set the mood. 

Rose and Finn read the vows they’d written for each other, neither of them able to get through it without crying. Rey didn’t like crying in public, but her eyes got more than a little misty-eyed. (She almost thought that Ben looked a little emotional too, if one could believe that.)

Instead of a traditional reception, the wedding ended with a bonfire on the beach, with way too much delicious food to try, including an absolutely divine coconut cake (Rey had two pieces).

She had just opened a bottle of Corona when she heard a hesitant voice behind her ask, “Um, Rey?”

She turned around and found Ben Solo standing behind her, looking a little uncertain, with a bottle of his own in his hand. She hadn’t even thought he was a beer drinker; they’d had a really long, really stupid argument in college about which was better, beer or wine (he’d argued for wine, and she’d picked beer, just to spite him). 

“I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk on the beach and uh, catch up?” he asked.

A day ago, Rey really wouldn’t have cared to learn what he had been up to in the years since they’d last seen each other. But Maui Ben wasn’t the same as college Ben, and she found that she actually did want to get to know the former better. 

Besides, he looked way too good tonight to resist; he’d rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt and loosened his tie, and his hair was perfectly tousled by the wind, like he’d just walked out of some kind of celebrity photo shoot. Regardless of whether or not Rey actually liked him, Rose was right — he was super hot. 

“So, Rose said you were teaching violin lessons back in London,” Ben said as they walked together through the surf, having kicked off their shoes near the bonfire. 

“Yeah,” Rey said with a shrug. “It’s hard to pay the bills, but I really like teaching. I love seeing kids discover their love for music.” She laughed. “Even if I have to hear ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ a million times a week.” She looked over at Ben. “What about you? I guess I don’t even know what you do for a living.”

“I work for my mom’s company,” he said. “I didn’t want to, because of the appearance of nepotism and all that, but once my ex left I realized how important it was going to be to have Jacen’s grandma in his life. I’m still able to play cello in a community orchestra, and for gigs like weddings.”

“Remember in college when we used to argue about what the best orchestra in the world was?” Rey asked. “And we’d brag about how we were going to be the most famous musician in our respective orchestras? I guess those dreams didn’t quite pan out.” 

“I’m kinda glad they didn’t,” Ben said, then quickly added, “I mean, at least for me. I think life needed to knock me down a peg or two.” He stopped walking and turned to look at Rey, and she felt a slight fluttering in her stomach. She realized she’d been so engrossed in their conversation that she hadn’t taken a single sip of her Corona yet. 

“I should have done this years ago,” Ben went on, his eyes filling with remorse. “Rey, I want to apologize to you for how I treated you in college. I was a real jerk, and I’ve regretted it every year since I graduated. You’re an amazing person, and an amazing musician. You deserved so, so much better.”

Rey didn’t know how to handle this new Ben — but she did know that she really, really liked it. 

“It means a lot to hear you say that, actually,” she said. “I always thought we were destined to be enemies, but you’ve really surprised me this trip. I wish we could have made better first impressions on each other.”

Ben seemed relieved that she’d accepted his apology, and she could see the tension draining out of him. “Well, maybe we could be friends now — if you’d like?” 

Rey stared at him, and at the endless blue ocean behind him, and at the first few stars twinkling in the darkening sky. The safest answer would be to say “yes,” shake hands, and then go their separate ways. But here in this magical, tropical paradise, she suddenly didn’t want to be safe. 

“So we made bad first impressions on each other — let’s pretend that we never met back in college, and that we’re just meeting each other here on the beach, for the very first time,” she said, suddenly a bit breathless.

For a moment Ben just looked at her, and she feared that he wasn’t going to play along. But then a smile slowly spread across his face, and he said, “Hi, I’m Ben Solo. I’m a single dad from Chicago, and I’m here for a friend’s wedding.”

“Hi, I’m Rey Niima,” she said, taking a step closer towards him. “And, Mr. Solo, I think I’d really like to kiss you.”

Ben looked a little stunned, but he didn’t back away. “I...I think I’d really like that.”

Rey stood on her tip-toes in the sand and gently kissed him. It instantly felt perfect, like this was always meant to happen, but it just took them forever to get here. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he put his hands on her waist, and together, they lost all track of time. People were probably staring, but she didn’t care. 

Who would have thought that she’d end up making out with her former college rival on the beach in Maui? It was the perfect holiday present she hadn’t even known she’d wanted. 

***

Rey waited in the terminal at Kahului Airport, an hour left until boarding for her flight began. She’d just said goodbye to Ben and his family, a bittersweet moment that had left her more emotional than she’d been prepared for. 

She looked down at the scrap of paper in her hand, on which Ben had written his phone number. It was a bit old-fashioned (he could have just asked for her number and then texted her, so they’d both have each others’ numbers). But Rey would be lying if she said she didn’t find that old-fashioned paper note a little romantic. 

Ben was probably just now sitting down on his flight to Chicago, and she wondered if he’d be thinking of her the whole way home (she was definitely going to be thinking of him the whole way back to London). Long distance dating had its challenges — especially when you lived in cities as far apart as London and Chicago. 

However, Rey definitely had a good feeling about this, and she wasn’t ready to let go of the unexpected connection she and Ben had experienced on this trip. 

She pulled out her phone and typed in the number he’d given her. She sent him a quick message: _Thinking of you._ ❤️❤️

She didn’t think she’d hear back from him until he landed, so she was surprised when her phone immediately dinged. 

_Miss you already,_ he’d typed. No emojis, she noticed, but that didn’t surprise her. Ben Solo didn’t really seem like the emoji-sending type. She’d get him there eventually. 

Then her phone dinged again, and she felt her heart melt more than just a little as she read: _Jacen wanted me to say that he misses you already too. I wish we could spend so much more time here together._

Rey quickly texted back: _We’ll see each other again soon. I promise._ She wasn’t sure how she’d make it happen, but she would. Maybe it was too soon to use the “L word,” but she was pretty sure she was already very much in love with Ben Solo. 

Her phone dinged again, and she saw he had written back, _It’s a promise._ ❤️

She laughed, and though several people sitting near her in the waiting area gave her a strange look, she barely even noticed. Ben Solo had sent her a heart emoji — it must be true love.


End file.
